Home
Flashcards
Preview
Weather and Climate Ch10
Home
Get App
Take Quiz
Create
polar front theory
the theory describing the formation, development, and dissipation of midlatitude cyclones.
cyclogenesis
the begining of cyclone formation
Occlusion
represents the end of the cyclone's life cycle
vorticity
The rotation of a fluid (such as air), is referred to as its vorticity
absolute vorticity
the overall rotation of air
relative vorticity
the vorticity relative to Earth's surface
Earth vorticity
due to the Earth's daily rotation about its axis
dynamic lows
surface low-pressure systems resulting from upper-tropospheric motions
thermal lows
caused by local heating of the air below
speed divergence and speed convergence
occurs when air flowing in a certain direction either speeds up or slows down
diffluence and confluence
occurs when air stretches out or converges horizontally due to variations in wind direction
short waves
smaller ripples superimposed on Rossbly waves
temperature advection
the horizontal transport of warm or cold air by wind
warm air advection
the horizontal movement of relatively warm air
cold air advection
the horizontal movement of relatively cold air
barotropic
when the height contours and isotherms are in alignment
baroclinic
when height contours and isotherms intersect
baroclinic instability
the situation in which cold and warm air advection causes vertical motions similar to those associated with statically unstable air.
cutoff low
an upper-level area of low pressure that takes on a circular flow distinct from the general flow around it
conveyor belt model
provides a depiction of the three-dimensional nature of midlatitude cyclones (in terms of three major flows)
Author
Anonymous
ID
97988
Card Set
Weather and Climate Ch10
Description
Weather and Climate Ch10
Updated
2011-08-22T22:37:59Z
Show Answers
Home
Flashcards
Preview